Friday after Ash Wednesday, 16th February

“Is not this the sort of fast that pleases me – it is the Lord who speaks – to share your bread with the hungry, and shelter the homeless poor…and not turn from your own kin?”

Isaiah 58:1-9

As we journey through Lent, we introduce you to a number of refugees we accompany. What touches you when you listen to their story?

Qusai’s Story

In this first week of Lent, we introduce you to Quasi, who was accompanied by staff and volunteers from JRS Europe as he journeyed across land and sea in search of safety.

Eventually a police car appeared. “All I could say was, ‘I want a wheelchair’.” To their immense surprise the policemen returned shortly afterwards with one. So they left the beach, Qusai being pushed along by his travel companion Ahmed.

Whilst sitting in a restaurant with other refugees who had braved the journey the restaurant owner approached Qusai. “Eleni was her name. She started to ask me questions in English. She saw my clothes wet with seawater and vomit and invited me to her house to take a shower. She gave me new clothes and food.”

To continue their journey it would cost Qusai and Ahmed 50 euros each to get to mainland Greece; money they did not have. “Until now, I cannot believe what happened. Eleni gave me 100 euro. I started to cry, I hugged her, and she started to cry too. It was like a miracle.” And so Quasi and Ahmed were able to reach Piraeus Port in Athens.

#Do1Thing

In Qusai’s story in the midst of great suffering he also met extraordinary generosity. The gift he received seemed like a miracle.

Through our #Do1Thing campaign, we invite you each day to do a small thing, that might help to bring about a bigger change.

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In today’s #Do1Thing, we invite you to think about how much you spend on coffee in a week? Do you grab a cup on the commute to work in the morning? If so, you could easily spend £15 each week. For refugees that JRS accompanies in the UK, £15 is more cash than they have available to cover their essential expenses.

Today, we invite you to fast from your morning caffeine fix and reflect on the ease with which you spend that £2.50. You may wish to consider donating that £2.50 to JRS UK.